Connectivism is a learning theory because of how learning takes place. It talks about how learning through connectivity is a way for knowledge to be added to through the connection of people sharing the knowledge they gain. It discusses how learning takes place through accessing information brought together by a huge number of available resources. (Connectivism as a Learning Theory for the Digital Age)
Connectivism acknowledges that learning is no longer just an internal and individualistic activity (adapted from Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age)
"Learning transpires through the use of both the cognitive and the affective domains; cognition and the emotions both contribute to the learning process in important ways." (Rita Kop and Adrian Hill article)
Connectivisim is the ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts as a core skill.(
Connectivism's Relevance to Teaching Practice
Teachers utilize the student's social network to engage students in learning and help students elicit and analyze valuable data (Kegan Remington article)
Incorporating blogging allows students to network with their global citizens of all ages (adapted from Faculty Commons)
Teachers can introduce MOOCs - Massive Open Online Courses - so students are introduced to online "courses" where they partner with others interested in the topic (adapted from Faculty Commons)
Teachers are encouraged to create a social network for their classroom so that students are able to connect after school hours (Kegan Remington article)
Connectivism's Support for Students
Students create knowledge in a network (adapted from Kegan Remington article)
Creating a social network allows students to interact in a nonthreatening environment (adapted from Kegan Remington article)
Students can also pair up with another class somewhere else to share knowledge (adapted from Kegan Remington article)
Connectivism provides the learning tools that are essential for students to be successful in this digital age (adapted from Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age)
Instead of memorizing facts and learning broad concepts, connectivism helps students to analyze problems and tackle them while working along their own path to knowledge (adapted from Kegan Remington article)
Prior learning experiences are used to develop new knowledge (3LL)
Students work together as a team towards a common or shared learning goal (3LL)
Compelling and Relevant Parts of Connectivism
Knowledge is not acquired or transmitted; learning is the formation of connections (adapted from Stephen Downes article)
Connectivism stresses two important skills (Kop and Hill article):
Learner's ability to seek out current information
Learner's ability to filter nonessential information
Connectivist teaching and learning consists of four major sorts of activities (adapted from Stephen Downes article):
Aggregation: Bringing information together
Remixing: Draw connections between pieces of information
Repurposing: Adapting content people contributed in the social network
Feeding Forward: Sharing the information learned with a larger audience, if desired
Components of Connectivism Causing Confusion
"If most people accept the idea that the smartest person in the room is the room; then the Connectivists go one step further to say that the only entity with any intelligence in the room is the room." (Justin Reich article) This translates into the idea that learning is a social activity; we all grow stronger in our knowledge when we interact with others to discuss ideas.
Home > Group A Workspace > Learning Activity 6-A-1
Position for Connectivism
Connectivism as a Learning Theory
Connectivism's Relevance to Teaching Practice
Connectivism's Support for Students
Compelling and Relevant Parts of Connectivism
Components of Connectivism Causing Confusion
References Consulted